There's no doubt Bush was hesitant and stumbled at times, but his voice rang with sincerity and there was no question about his resolve and enthusiasm for seeing things through, in good times and in bad.
Kerry was slick, tis true, he didn't hesitate or stumble as much as Bush, but his answers were clearly memorized stock phrases. His enthusiasm level has improved from earlier speeches, but it still felt to me like it came out of a can. Speeches that came out of cans are just canned opinions, often not even the candidate's. So his performance didn't make me feel he was trustworthy, which was the major hurdle he needed to climb in order to make swing voters likeh im.
In terms of their mastery of policy substance, I think they were close. But in terms of trustworthiness, there's no question Bush was ahead by miles.
D
Instead, he came across as sincere. Kerry came across as someone who would seek French permission before defending the country. Kerry was more animated, but I'm not sure that won him any votes.